A Great Northern Diver and 2 Black-necked Grebe were seen in Bramble Bush Bay, best viewed from near the House Boats. Over on Lytchett Fields RSPB 2 Spoonbill were once again feeding there as was a Water Pipit whilst a ringtail Hen Harrier hunted around the Bay. At Hatch Pond numbers of Snipe are starting to build again with at least 50 in “Elborn’s Cut” which is the section of cut reeds that can be observed from the viewing area in the conifers towards the north of the pond. The Sunnyside Tramway (near Ridge) held a Lesser Redpoll as well as several Greenfinch and Bullfinch.

Snipe at Elborn’s Cut, Hatch Pond © Ian Ballam

Turnstone at Hamworthy Park © Ian Ballam

Passionate about Poole Harbour and its bird life? Like talking to people about the beauty of Poole Harbour and the surrounding area? You could be just who we’re looking for to help volunteer in our new Birds of Poole Harbour HQ which opens on March 1st 2018. We’re looking for a small team of enthusiastic, knowledgable and dedicated volunteers to help build our charity presence around Poole Harbour with volunteer roles in our new HQ on Poole Quay. If you’re interested and think this could be for you please email us at info@birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk and we’ll get a volunteer role specification form out to you right away!

Enthusiasm is often a key driver when it comes to watching birds. So is being slightly mad, and both attributes were needed today when our public bird boat went out in clear bright sky’s but almost sub-zero temperatures. A brisker than brisk north-east wind ripped across the harbour but our valiant guests on board stuck it out and were treated to a nice variety of birds despite watery eyes turning to icicles! Up to 6 Great Northern Diver were dotted around the harbour, 1 Black-necked Grebe and 1 Slavonian Grebe were off Green Island. The Velvet Scoter was still out in South Deep with 2 Common Scoter. In the Wareham Channel a Marsh Harrier settled on Gigger’s Island and a Hen Harrier was seen but only very briefly hassling a flock of Avocet. On the Brownsea Lagoon Avocet, Bar and Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Shoveler and Gadwall all added to the tally and standard harbour species such as Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Shag and Cormorant were all well represented. Off Hamworthy 2 Sandwich Tern passed the beach and singles of both Razorbill and Guillemot were off Evening Hill. At Middlebere 3 Spoonbill and a feeding Merlin were photographed. 

If you fancy a slightly warmer trip or think you’d like to try one of our super ‘cool’ winter boat trips later in the year then our full boat trip schedule for 2018 can now be found HERE

Constant monitoring will always pay reward and today local harrier watcher Peter Hadrill observed three different grey male Hen Harrier bombing around the west of the harbour with a juvenile male and female ringtail in tow. This is a great early February total and possibly indicates one of the highest gatherings in southern England currently. Although we need to keep roost sites a secret, observing them during the day just requires a bit of patients and waiting at sites like Swineham GP, Middlebere and Coombe Heath, Arne will eventually reward you with a sighting or two. The male Merlin was again on Hartland late afternoon and up to 3 Marsh Harrier were in the mouth of the Frome. We’ve also been notified of gardens hosting Brambling over the course of the winter at places like Ridge and just outside our recording area in Bloxworth. Brambling are regular passage migrant in autumn but very scarce over-winterers so if you do currently have Brambling visiting your feeders and have so for the last few months we’d love to know about it. 

Great Crested Grebe – Hamworthy Beach – Ian Ballam

Great Crested Grebe – Shell Bay – Ian Ballam

Despite the cold wind a great variety of birds were seen around the harbour today. At Arne, off Shipstal a Merlin and Hen Harrier were hunting together, chasing Meadow Pipits off Shipstal c30 Spoonbill were present, a minimum of 7 Great Northern Diver were dotted around Central Harbour with a few near the harbour mouth too and the single still in Poole Park and single of Red-throated and Black-throated Diver were off Hamworthy Beach. Two Common Scoter were in South Deep and a Slavonian Grebe was off the southern end of Green Island. A Hawfinch was in trees on the southern edge of Wareham Town centre just west of the Stoborough Causeway. In the Arne car park a single Firecrest was in Holly, at North Haven, Sandbanks 2 Purple Sandpiper were on Groynes on the eastern side of the peninsular with several Sanderling and Ringed Plover and Dunlin. A Red Kite also drifted low over Arne. Around the rest of the harbour good numbers of Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe continue to be seen and wader numbers are still high at low-tide sites so all in all it’s a great time to be out looking! We also began a small nocturnal bio-acoustic monitoring study looking/listening out for Long-eared Owl activity at suitable sites around the harbour. This likely once common bird is extremely rare now so listening acoustically in remote areas of the harbour during the dead of night is a great way to listen out for the calls and songs they’d be carrying out at this time of year. So far we’ve picked up both Tawny and Barn Owl within our recordings but no Long-eared Owls yet!

Barn Owl – Swineham GP – 03/02/18 @ 04:45 Perennial Screech

The day started off grotty but improved and by the end of the day a calm had descended across the harbour. A Great White Egret was seen in Middlebere, the first for a while. Both ringtail and a grey male Hen Harrier were seen at Middlebere. As the sun set, a mass of gulls began to feed on the Baiter/Parkstone Bay shoreline but with only a handful (8) of Med Gulls logged, its an indication that spring is just around the corner but winter still has a grip on us for now. By the end of Feb and into early March, the Baiter shoreline can see up to and over 100 summer plumaged Med Gulls on evening low tides…a spectacle well worth seeing. Great Northern Divers were still out in central harbour with the single still on Poole Park boating lake and the Velvet Scoter was still out in South Deep with 2 Common Scoter and 4 Black-necked Grebe.

The Velvet Scoter was still in the company of 2 Common Scoter on the south side of Brownsea Island viewable distantly from The Houseboats as was a Black-throated Diver briefly. Elsewhere dotted around the harbour were at least 6 Great Northern Diver, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 2 Black-necked Grebe and the usual 20 or so Spoonbill were roosting on Shipstal Point. In Shell Bay there were 2 Great Northern Diver and 3 Black-necked Grebe whilst the Great Northern Diver continues its sojourn in Poole Park. Singles of Green Sandpiper and Greenshank were seen at both Holton Lee and Lytchett Fields RSPB, the latter site holding at least 1 Water Pipit. 2 Purple Sandpiper were again on groynes further east along the beach from North Haven and the wintering Spotted Redshank was seen again in Holes Bay.  

The Great Northern Diver was still in Poole Park but seems to be sticking more to the centre of the main lake, also there were 6 Goldeneye. Two Great Northern Diver and 3 Black-necked Grebe were in Shell Bay with a further 3 of the latter in the centre of the harbour and 7 more in Studland Bay where a Red-throated Diver was seen. At least 6 Great Northern Diver were scattered around the harbour with a Black-throated Diver seen off the Houseboats where the female Velvet Scoter was still in the company of 2 female Common Scoter. Lytchett Fields RSPB held singles of Spoonbill, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper. With water levels beginning to drop on Brownsea Lagoon a few more waders are starting to appear and at least 7 Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank were seen from the school bird boat. An adult Caspian Gull spent a few minutes loafing around in Poole docks viewed from the office window on the quay – fingers crossed it reappears!

The juvenile Great Northern Diver was still in residence in Poole Park with 6 Goldeneye and 4 Red-breasted Merganser. There were 16 Spoonbill on Shipstal Point with 2 still on Lytchett Fields RSPB. 2 Black-necked Grebe were off Hamworthy Park with 3 off Middle Beach, 4 in Shell Bay and 2 in Bramble Bush Bay where the Velvet Scoter was still with 2 Common Scoter and a Black-throated Diver. Mediterranean Gull are starting to reappear in the harbour with several seen in Ower Bay and then moving west through the harbour in the evening.

Between Round Island and Green Island the Red-necked Grebe was seen again as well as 54 Goldeneye and along the shoreline were 964 Brent Geese, 64 Bar-tailed Godwit and 20 Spoonbill. In the Warehan Channel there was also good numbers of birds such as: 5 Spoonbill, 1,300 Lapwing, 370 Teal, 114 Grey Plover, 128 Curlew, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Spotted Redshank. A Black-throated Diver was seen off Hamworthy Park along with 3 Black-necked Grebe and the Great Northern Diver was still in Poole Park. Lytchett Bay still held 1 Spoonbill in addition to 3 Greenshank. Wytch Causeway is a traditional site for wintering Water Pipit and sure enough there was at least 1 bird seen there today. Single Hawfinch were seen near Newton Bay and again near Norden Sewage Works where there was also a Firecrest and at least 6 Chiffchaff. A Marsh Tit was again on feeders in the NT car park at Corfe Castle and the Hooded Crow was still at Manor Farm, Studland.